stearns



A. D. STBARNS. APPARATUS PoR HOLDING-AND DIrPING PILLS'.

(No Model.)

No. 504,505. v]Ea|.tented Sept. 5, 1893.

.Fb ...l Pl: IF F UNTTED STATES PATENT Ormes.

ALBYN D. STEARNS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE FREDERICKSTEARNS da COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND DIPPING. PILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters .Patent No. 504,505, datedSeptember 5, 1893.

Application iiled March 28,1893. Serial No. 467,945. (No model.)

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in anapparatus for holding and dipping pills, in the operation of coating thepills with gelatine or other material, having for its object a device ofthis class of su- Yperior construction, utility and efficiency, and

one which may be more conveniently and readily operated than otherdevices of this class heretofore employed, and it consists of thedevices and appliances, their construction, combination and arrangement,as hereinafter speciiied and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on theline oc-oc Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isa vertical longitudinal section of a portionof the feeder bar. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a portion of the liftingbar.

My invention relates, more especially, to that class of appliances forthe purpose above named, in which the pills are held in place whilebeing dipped, by suction or atmospheric pressure, produced by a suitableexhaustlon of the air from one side of the pills, the pills beingsupported and held in place upon the open ends vof a series of tubes. Mypresent invention, moreover, is more particularly designed as animprovement upon adevice of a similar nature for which United StatesLetters Patent Were granted me March 14, 1893, No. 493,604.

I carry out my invention as follows:

A denotes an elongated rack or frame ,provided with an upper perforatedportion A. Through said perforated upper portion of the frame, projectsa series of independent tubes B, the ends of the tubes progecting upwardfrom the portion A Va desired distance. My present inventioncontemplates grouping all these independent tubes B and carryingthemlaterally to one end of the frame A, where they are held together in anysuitable manner, as by a ferrule or cap C, and passed collectivelythrough one of the end portions of the frame, as the end A2.

D is a swivel union engaged with the cap C or the collected ends of thetubes B, said swivel union having a stationary engagement with anexhaust hose or pipe E. Thus said cap may have a swivel, or rotatableconnection, in any suitable manner with the union D, so that, withoutdisconnecting the frame A, or tubes B from the union D, the frame withthe series of independent tubes connected therewith, may be reversed orrotated from' the normal position shown in full lines, Fig. l, into thereverse position shown in dotted lines in said figure, and vice versa.This construction and arrangement obviously allow the rack or frame tobe reversed without twisting the tubes. The rack or tubes carriedthereby may have a swiveled or reversible connec-` tion with the exhaustpipe E in any desired manner within the scope of my invention.

F denotes a perforated lifting bar constructed and arranged to belocated over the ends of the tubes B, above the cross bar or portion Aof the rack A.

G denotes a feeding bar, also perforated, to be located over the ends ofthe tubes, as shown. Thetfeeder G is preferably supported, when inplace, upon posts a, a, havinga screw threaded engagement therewith, asshown at a2, Fig. 3, and a socket at the base, as shown in Fig. 3, at@3, to rest upon a stud H, permanently engaged with the bar A andprojecting through the lifter F.

The perforations in the feeding bar are constructed of sufficientdiameter to allow the pills to fall therethrough upon the ends of thetubes B, which register therewith. This feeding bar acts as a guide todirect the pills to their seats upon the ends of the tubes. By thismeans an attendant may rapidly distribute a hand full of pills over andupon the feeding bar, the pills dropping therethrough into place uponthe ends of the tubes. The feeding bar is then removed by being liftedIOO off from the tubes. The pills are then in place upon the tubes. Theattendant then rotates or reverses the position of the rack into theposition shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to dip the pills in the coatingmaterial. The rack is then again turned into an upright position shownin full lines, Fig. l. The lifting bar may then be lifted off from thetubes carrying the pills therewith, seated upon the perforationstherethrough.

For convenience, I prefer to construct each lifter bar for use with twodifferent sizes of pills. This may readily be done by reaming out theextremities of the perforations on opposite sides, of different sizes,as shown in Fig. 5 at f and f. By reversing said bar, it will serve fordipping two different sizes of pills.

By mounting the feeding bar upon screw threaded posts, various feederbars for different sizes of pills may be `engaged upon the same posts.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In an apparatus for holding anddipping pills, the combination with a rack provided with a cross bar A',of a series of tubes engaged therewith at one of their extremities, andassembled at their opposite extremities, a perforated lifting barlocated over said tubes upon said cross bar, and a perforated feedingbar supported at the upper ends of said tubes, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an apparatus for holding and dipping pills, the combination of arack provided with a cross bar, a series of tubesengaged with said crossbar, and a perforated lifting bar engaged over the extremities of thetubes upon said cross bar, said lifting bar constructed with differentsized seats for the pills on opposite sides of said lifting bar,substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for holding and dipping pills, the combination of arack provided with a cross bar, of a series of tubes engaged with saidcross bar, a perforated feeding bar located at the upper ends of saidtubes, and posts cz-, a' supporting said feeding bar, substantially asdescribed.

4. In an apparatus for holding and dipping pills, the combination ofl arack A, provided with a cross bar A', a series of independent tubesprojecting upward from said cross bar at one of their extremities, theiropposite extremities carried laterally andassembled together, and anexhaust pipe E, havingaswiveled connection with `the ,assembled ends ofsaid tubes at one `end of said rack, whereby the opposite ends of `thetubes may be rotated verticallyinto opposite positions for dipping andremoving the pills, and without disconnecting the rack from the exhaustpipe, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALBYN D. STEARNS.

Witnesses:

N. S. WRIGHT, JOHN F. MILLER.

